Year 4, week 36: Stephen King twofer

 Two Stephen King books this week:

Joyland
By Stephen King

I have a confession, I love Stephen King. I will fully admit I haven’t read everything that he has written, but I have read a large chunk of his work. I originally picked this book up for a reading challenge that required a book about a circus, because apparently national circus day is April 17th. Well I had read most of the circus themed books on the list so I read this novel that includes an amusement park so I thought that was close enough. 

This novel is all told from the point of view of a 21 year old guy from the early 1970’s and the summer he worked at a small amusement park. This book reminded me of my dad in a lot of ways; the main character is a writer like my dad, and is working a summer job that doesn’t really suit him; my dad worked a lot of odd summer jobs that he used to tell my sister about when we were younger. The writing also just sounds like my father’s way of thinking and writing. 

The book is not one of King’s scary or gruesome horrors; it's more like one of his retrospective stories that are heartbreaking and sentimental. Of course, there are moments that are still a bit creepy, but for the most part the story is pretty straightforward. I will say that there are many King books that are a little too long for my taste, even though King can spin a real tale. This book tells a story while not going overboard with side stories and too much information. The book has no chapters, just page breaks, which would normally drive me nuts, but in this case it just sucked me into the story. 

I enjoyed it greatly and would recommend the novel.

Salem’s Lot
By Stephen King

I bought this book a while back, because I wanted to read something creepy for Halloween, and what is more Halloween like then the king (no pun intended) of horror, Stephen King? I finally got around to reading the book because I just wanted to read something not so hard-hitting. I read most of the book and finished it up via audiobook. The audiobook had an introduction from King and it’s always interesting to hear where authors get their inspiration from. This book is about vampires, and when King was a child he was terrified for vampires. 

If I’m going to be honest, this wasn’t my favorite of King’s books; it’s just too long. However, I’m glad I read it. If you are a fan of horror and King, you should check it out. 

Year 4, week 35: What Would Frida Do

This week's book:
What Would Frida Do: A Guide to Living Boldly
By Arianna Davis

This book was a Book of the Month book and I actually sought it out, not an actual pick for a certain month. When I saw the title and subject matter I knew I wanted to pick it up. My older sister has always loved Frida Kahlo, Mexican culture in general, but really Frida in particular. She has been to Mexico a handful of times and even got married there. 

This book was supposed to be a biography of sorts with a little self-help peppered in. If you have seen the film Salma Hayek made in 2002 named Frida you pretty much already know most of the same information that this book tells you. Or if you have even a little insight about Frida and her husband Diego, it's pretty basic information. It seems like this book could have been a person's term paper about Frida; there are quotes in big fonts and tables of different information about the artist. You can tell the author loves all things Frida and wanted to share all she knew. 

I would say if you wanted to learn more about the famous Mexican artist and didn't want to read a full fledged biography about her, I would suggest that you pick this book up. Even though I knew most of the information that was included in the book, I really did enjoy it. 

Year 4, week 34: Stack o' books

This week's book is actually going to be a whole stack of books my friend Liz was sweet enough to let me borrow or recommend for me to read. 

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
By Taylor Jenkins Reid

This book is by the author of Daisy Jones and the Six, which I loved. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo was fun and gives the reader a classic Hollywood feel. I kept thinking of Elizabeth Talyor or really any of those starlets from the 1950's and 60's. The book also has very strong LGBT plot/characters that really bring depth to the book. The book really pulled me in and I listened to it very quickly. I would recommend it if you would like a book full of old Hollywood drama and such. 

The Girl With the Louding Voice
By Abi Daré

This book has been read and discussed by every book nerd I know. I am always worried when I read something that is wildly popular because it always seems like I don't usually like such popular books. This was not one of those times; I enjoyed this book very much. This book tells the story of a young woman in Africa overcoming being married off young, working in a home for a couple that don't treat her well, and becoming educated all the while. It's so well written and I took turns between reading the physical copy of the book and listening to the audiobook, which was performed very well too! I would definitely recommend this book. 

The Push
By Ashley Audrain

I don't want to say I hated this book, but I did. The story is about a mom that struggles connecting to her first child, and then she finally thinks the child is a sociopath. Everyone thinks she's crazy. Then she connects with her second child right away. 

My first child and I butt heads all the time, I don't think he is going to kill all of us and I love him very much, but there are very difficult moments with him sometimes. I also have a baby sloth currently that is almost always connected which was very much like this book. The book is very well written, and it's the author's first book. But the book was so flipping intense and hard to read/listen to. I wouldn't recommend it honestly.

This Close to Okay
By Leesa Cross-Smith

I actually read/listened to this book in one day, which is pretty impressive for a girl with a reading disability. The story wasn't half bad.  A therapist saves a man from jumping to his death, and brings him back to her house. If you can look past all of the lack of boundaries and secrets the two main characters have, it's an okay book. I'm glad I borrowed it and would recommend it. 

Winter Counts
By David Heska Wanbli Weiden

This book was rather good, but hard at some points. The story takes place a lot of the time on a Native American reservation. The plot involves some drug use, violence, and the lasting effects of how horrible the treatment of a people that have been on this land longer than anyone else. The way that I have described it sounds way darker then I meant to but I actually really liked the book and would recommend it if you want a gritty crime thriller type of book.

Thanks Liz for being an awesome book buddy!!

Year 4, week 33: The Iowa Baseball Confederacy

This week's book:
The Iowa Baseball Confederacy
By W. P. Kinsella

This is super late, but by total accident this post is right after the first day of my son's baseball season. His first practice apparently went really well; hopefully he has a better season this year with his new bat. 

Baseball has always been my favorite sport. I have always loved watching it on TV and especially live games. When my son (and now daughter) found that they wanted to try baseball out, I was thrilled. The game is magical and lyrical, with the team almost doing a dance with batting, catching and pitching. A night game game with a chill in the air under the lights or covered in sweat during a double header baseball is just amazing. 

I read this book because of a reading challenge I was doing. One of the prompts was to read a book about a spring sport, which baseball clearly is. The novel was written by the same man that wrote Shoeless Joe, the book the film Field of Dreams was based on. I read the novel I think in High School if I remember correctly, and enjoyed it alright. If I'm completely honest, I think the film is much better. The author has amazing imagery and quotes about baseball, but his actual ability to have a plot is kind of lacking. 

Both of the books are based in Iowa, where my whole family is from, and has a lot about Hawkeye history. The author is a veteran of the Iowa Writer's Workshop (one of the coolest places to come and work on your manuscript). This book still has the element of fantasy that Shoeless Joe has. This novel is about a baseball game from the turn of the century that lasted for thousands of innings over weeks, whereas Shoeless Joe a magical baseball field in a cornfield in Iowa. If you are a fan of baseball I would check it out.